You Did Good
by theultimatezb
Summary: Golly prompt - The adoption falls through and a couple of years pass, Gail is surprised to bump into Holly again, a very pregnant Holly. Who knew Holly would get the urge to be a single parent too?
1. Chapter 1

It was a lovely day, the sun shining brightly with an occasional cool breeze every few minutes. The end of spring was around the corner and despite being paired up with Chloe, it was a pleasantly slow day and they were having sandwiches from her favourite deli, both women enjoying the amazing weather out on the hood of the car parked by a park – Gail was thoroughly enjoy her lunch break.

"Hey…" Chloe broke the peaceful silence between them even after Gail told her not to speak for at least 15 minutes while she was eating.

"What now, Price?" Gail rolled her eyes.

Chloe pointed at a pregnant brunette sitting on a park bench, reading. Gail squinted at the direction the redhead was pointing at.

"Isn't that… Holly?"

Gail squinted harder, a hand over her eyes trying to block out the sunlight. She could make out the long wavy dark hair, the glasses, the tanned skin, but she was definitely not familiar with the huge baby bump. Shit, it _was_ Holly.

"What the…" The blonde trailed off, hardly believing her eyes.

"That's your Holly, right? Dr. Stewart?" Chloe turned to look at Gail, her big wide eyes looked like they were going to pop out of its sockets. She couldn't believe it either.

Gail glared at her partner until she had to look away from the life threatening glare and take a sip of her coffee. "You should go talk to her." Chloe mumbled into her cup.

She expected another icy glare from Gail, maybe some vicious words thrown at her, but Gail simply walked towards the trash can and threw away the rest of her sandwich before making her way to Holly. Her body was on autopilot, there was still magnetic pull between the two women after all these years. She couldn't help as her legs brought her to the woman she once loved.

As she got nearer, Gail's heartbeat was increasing, her ears hot and her throat dry. She tried taking deep breaths to calm herself down but failed to do so. Gail adjusted her utility belt and cleared her throat when she was just within a few feet away from Holly. The brunette looked up and gasped at the sight in front of her.

Gail's platinum blonde hair and beautiful pale face glowed under the sunlight, her blue eyes brighter than she remembered, and her soft smile warm enough to make her heart melt like those many years ago. Gail literally took her breath away, like she always did in the past.

"Gail," It was nice to say her name after all these years. Holly didn't know why she was surprised to see the blonde around here, she was a police officer after all. Holly was bound to run into her. But it was still a shock to see Gail Peck in the flesh. It had been almost three years but she still looked the same. Holly put her book down and blinked a few times. "it's nice to see you."

Gail sat down on the bench when Holly offered. She couldn't take her eyes off of her massive stomach. Holly knew the other woman was obviously surprised to see her in town and very pregnant, so she spoke again to kill the awkward silence.

"How are you doing?"

Gail frowned, still unable to wrap her head around this new revelation. "I'm fine." She mumbled under her breath.

"You look the same," Holly shifted in her seat, Gail's intense gaze at her baby bump making her a little uncomfortable. "in a good way, of course. You look great as always."

Gail had kept her hair short and it was only recently that she dyed it back blonde. Maybe that was what Holly meant. She finally looked up at Holly, the warm smile back on her face again. Holly was one of those women who looked amazing even with a human growing inside of her. She looked radiant. "You look… very pregnant."

"Yeah, 2 weeks to due date. Anytime now." Holly subconsciously rubbed her stomach fondly. "I figured since the weather is so nice today, I'd squeeze in some alone time before the baby is born."

Gail frowned again. "Did you drive here? Alone?"

"Nah, I stay right across the street." Holly shook her head and pointed at the apartment building opposite them.

"Still, you shouldn't be walking around by yourself." Gail's concern was endearing and Holly tried to bit back a smile.

"It's fine, Gail."

Before she knew what she was doing, Holly placed a hand over Gail's and her thumb rubbed the top of Gail's pale hand reassuringly. They stayed like that for a while, hands touching and eyes never leaving each other's face, as if trying to remember any part they had forgotten. The moment was broken when a golden retriever barked loudly in the vicinity. Gail jumped and immediately pulled her hand back to herself.

Gail shook her head. "How… how are you pregnant?"

"Do you really need me to go over how babies are born?" Holly's trademark smile formed on her lips and Gail was reminded by how much she missed the brunette's lopsided smile. She couldn't help but smile back too.

"I mean, why are you pregnant? Why are you back in Toronto?" Gail noticed Holly's ring finger and realized she wasn't married either. Was she planning to be a single mum? Like Gail did years ago? The thought of Sophie still made her heart hurt.

"I've always wanted to be a mother and after San Francisco… I'm ready to become one, even if I have to do it alone and I wanted to do it back home, here in Toronto."

It was true. Holly was great with kids and she always wanted to have a baby. It wasn't the adoption that ended things between them, it was the distance. They knew they weren't giving each other the best chance they both deserved by hanging on to one another, that they wouldn't survive the distance, so they decided to end it before Holly left for San Francisco.

Gail nodded absently, thousands of thoughts running through her mind. Then she asked while pointing at the brunette's left hand, "You're not married, do you at least have a girlfriend? Someone to take care of you?"

Holly smiled and shook her head. "I'm perfectly fine by my own."

"At least tell me whether it's a boy or a girl?"

"It's a girl." Holly touched her stomach again, the smiled still plastered on her face. Gail's eyes lit up at the news and the brunette could feel the once familiar fluttering of her heart in her chest.

They sat in silence then, a cool breeze helping to soothe Holly's slightly flushed cheeks. She turned to find Officer Price in the squad car, trying to look away and act busy as if she wasn't watching them.

"So… what about you? Seeing anyone?

Gail simply shook her head in response.

"What about Sophie? How is she?"

Gail's demeanour changed, something inside her hardened, her walls went up the way Holly remembered the blonde used to do back when they were friends and even when they were dating.

"It didn't happen," She shrugged, trying to control her emotions. "I wasn't fit to be her mum."

Holly's heart sank, she tried to reach out to comfort Gail but decided against it. She was a cat, after all. "Oh, Gail. I'm so sorry."

Gail shrugged again. "It was a long time ago. She's happy now."

Holly wanted to say something, a million things, her head tilted to the side and her brown eyes warm and kind, but no words came out between her lips. She wanted to ask Gail why didn't she tell her about the adoption, why didn't she pick up the phone to call or at least send a text message, but then she realized she had lost the right to be Gail's confidant and friend when she told her it was best if they stayed off contact as soon as she left for San Francisco. Holly needed a clean break if she was going to get over Gail, and Gail understood completely. Gail was heartbroken about it, so many times she had wanted to hear Holly's voice again but she'd remember the deal they made and would continue to keep all her emotions bottled up inside.

Holly was getting a bit tired and hot, the sun hanging lower as the afternoon progressed and the cool wind gone.

"I think I'm gonna go home to take a nap." Holly yawned, a hand coming up to cover her mouth. "I have the energy of a sloth these days."

As Holly tried to stand up, Gail hopped to her feet to help the pregnant brunette. "I think that's perfectly acceptable." Gail looked at her watch. She still had some more time before lunch break was over. She looked over at the squad car to see Chloe smiling brightly at her. "Let me walk you home."

Holly waved her off. "It's okay, I walk just fine by myself. You should go protect the city."

Gail shook her head, putting a tentative hand on Holly's back. "I insist."

They walked slowly in silence, Gail's hand never leaving Holly's back even as they came to a stop outside the building. When Holly cleared her throat, the blonde moved her hand away and at the loss of contact, Holly craved Gail's touch almost immediately. Gail's heart ached slightly too and she frowned at herself for being so pathetic.

"So I'll see you soon?" Holly hesitated at the front door, unwilling to say goodbye to the blonde just yet.

Gail nodded. "Yeah, see you soon."

As Gail turned to walk back down the street, she heard a loud splash and an 'oh my god' from the brunette and she quickly whipped her head around to see that Holly was standing still, her eyes wide and mouth agape.

Gail ran the short distance back to Holly, worried something was wrong. "What's wrong?"

"My water just broke."

Gail looked down to see the large wet spot under Holly's maternity dress and had to hide her growing panic. She reached for Holly with one hand as the other reached for the radio. "Price, I need you to drive over here right now," Gail could still see the squad car from where they were. "Holly's going into labour."

It took less than 10 seconds for Chloe to drive down the street toward them. The car came to a screeching halt and Chloe got out to help Gail bring Holly to the back of the squad car. Once Gail and Holly were seated, Chloe ran back to the driver's seat, turned on the sirens and sped down the street headed for the nearest hospital.

After passing the second set of traffic lights, Holly started to cry in pain. Gail automatically reached for Holly's hand and tried not to yell at the death grip.

"Just breathe, okay? We're almost there. Breathe. Breathe with me" Gail breathed in, hoping Holly would do the same. They continued the breathing exercise for a whole minute before another scream came from Holly.

"Step on it, Price!"

They finally got to the hospital in what felt like hours. Gail was pretty sure her hand was numb by the time the squad car came to a stop. Her hand never left Holly's even when the nurses came with a wheelchair to escort Holly to the delivery room.

"I'm sorry, officer. You can't go in there. We'll take over from here."

The nurse stopped Gail by the double doors, but before Gail could say anything Holly spoke up. "She's with me."

Gail saw how Holly pleaded with pained eyes and nodded. She couldn't find it in her heart to say no.

They had to part when they arrived at the delivery room for the nurses to prepare Holly for labour, but once the brunette was settled on the bed, she reached for Gail and Gail immediately moved to her side, holding her hand again. Holly's screams were getting louder this time, and as the doctor finally entered the room, Holly was beginning to panic.

"Oh my god, I'm having a baby. I'm going to be a mum." The last word came out as a scream.

"Holly, breathe okay? You're starting to panic. Everything's going to be fine." Gail tried to comfort Holly.

"Everything's not going to be fine! There's a baby coming out of my vagina! Oh my god, what made me think I could do this," Holly yelled again and Gail had to wince at the high pitched scream. "alone!"

"Holly, you gotta breathe through your nose, and out through your mouth. And when you're ready I need you to push as hard as you can, okay?" The doctor instructed the now hysterical woman who was having a hard time listening to doctor's orders.

Gail had to do something. Hand-holding wasn't enough. She smoothed Holly's messy hair and tucked sweaty strands behind her ears. She didn't know what possessed her to do it, but she moved closer to the bed to bump her forehead against Holly's sweaty one, trying her best to distract her from the pain.

"Hols, you are not alone. I'm right here. You can do this. Listen to the doctor, breathe in through your nose and out through your mouth. Do it with me. In… Out… In… out…"

When Holly finally started to breathe properly, the screaming died down and she was looking calmer. Gail smiled at the brunette. "You're doing so well, Holly." She stroke Holly's cheek a few times, her hand staying on her face.

"Now Holly, after I count to 3 I want you push." The doctor piped in, she could see the baby's head slowly emerging. "1, 2, 3, push!"

Holly pushed, and pushed, and pushed until they heard the loud cry from the baby. Gail's hand was probably broken by the force of Holly's grip, but that could wait. They looked on as the nurse wrapped the still crying baby in a towel before putting her in Holly's arms.

"Congratulations, it's a girl."

Holly let out a relieved sigh and released her hand from Gail's to carry the new-born. Gail rubbed at her hand and watched as mother and daughter meet for the first time. She watched Holly introduce herself to her daughter and cooed at the baby girl. It was a heart-warming sight and Gail had tears in her eyes. Holly never looked so beautiful – matted hair, tear stained cheeks and sweaty skin.

"Gail, I want you to meet Elizabeth Marie Stewart."

Gail moved so she could take a better look at baby Elizabeth, using the hand she used to stroke Holly's cheek earlier to stroke the baby's. She had dark hair and brown eyes like her mum, she had a smile so sweet it could melt the sun. Elizabeth was so tiny and so beautiful. Gail gave up and let the tears flow. She looked up from the baby - her index finger still caressing the soft cheek - and kissed Holly's forehead gently.

"You did good, Holly."


	2. Chapter 2

Gail could hear the familiar cries of Elizabeth's as she slid the spare key into the lock. She wondered what had the girl crying so loudly and quickly turned the door knob and pushed the door open, worry slowly creeping up her spine. Was something wrong? Were Holly and baby Liz doing okay?

Since that day at the hospital, Gail had taken a few days off to help make sure the transition from hospital to home was smooth for both mother and daughter. Right before they were allowed to go home, Holly kindly asked if Gail would go back to her apartment to clean up a bit, to make sure the house was neat and tidy and the blonde agreed to do so immediately. She also went to the store and stocked up the fridge with fresh produce before going to the hospital to pick them up. And she also cooked dinner that night. Gail did not leave Holly and Elizabeth's side for two days. She fell asleep on the sofa on their first night back. Holly didn't have the heart to wake the blonde up, instead she pulled a blanket out and draped it over Gail. Gail had been way too nice to her and her daughter, cooking and cleaning and taking care of them and it was nice to have Gail back in her life again.

On the third day though, Gail had to go back to work and she left Holly's apartment with a kiss to Elizabeth's forehead and a heavy heart. She missed the tiny human the whole time during her shift, and Andy caught her smiling to herself once during patrol. She also called and texted Holly throughout the day to make sure they were both doing okay. Gail was undoubtedly in love with Baby Liz from the moment she saw her. Her smile could melt Gail's insides, just like her mum's.

Pushing the door open, the cries got louder and Gail was quick to shut it so the neighbours wouldn't be disturbed. Holly was standing in the middle of the living room with Elizabeth in her arms. Gail put the bag of food she was carrying down on the kitchen counter and moved quickly into the living room, putting her bag on an armchair before approaching the pair.

"Hey, what's wrong?" Gail asked the brunette as soon as she was standing next to her.

"I don't know, she's been crying like that for more than half an hour. I don't know what to do." cried Holly. She was frowning at the baby, clearly at a loss of what she should do.

"Is she hungry?"

"She's refusing the bottle."

"Is it her diapers?"

Holly shook her head. "I checked twice, she's clean. I also took her temperature. She's fine. Maybe I should take her to the hospital."

Holly looked up at Gail, feeling absolutely helpless. Elizabeth's cries were like stabs to the brunette's heart and Gail could see the tears welling up in her eyes. The sight in front of Gail hurt her too. Holly looked exhausted and Elizabeth looked like she might explode from all the crying soon.

"Here, let me." She raised her hands and Holly deposited Elizabeth into her arms.

Gail bounced on the spot and cooed at the red faced baby. Holly watched with worried eyes and a hand under her chin.

"Hey baby, what's wrong?" Gail spoke softly at Elizabeth, making sure her body was relaxed. She read somewhere that babies could sense that sort of stuff.

Within a minute or two, the crying died down into soft sniffles and Gail pointed at the bottle. Holly got the hint, but whispered that she was going to reheat it first. Gail nodded and continued to pat Elizabeth gently. When Holly was out of sight, Gail decided to have a word with the tiny human in her arms.

"Now Lizzy, you gotta stop giving your mummy a hard time. It's not easy raising a baby. She loves you and she hates seeing you cry, so you need to behave okay?"

When baby Liz smiled in response, Gail sighed in relief. "Good talk."

Holly returned shortly with a warm bottle and passed it to Gail. When Elizabeth took it into her mouth and started sucking, Gail considered it a victory. Holly simply walked to the sofa and plopped down in relief. Gail smiled and winked at the brunette.

Holly watched the blonde with her daughter, amazed at how Gail had come to her rescue yet again within the past few days. She had only run into the police officer less than a week ago and now here she was standing in her apartment, holding her new-born like the past was simply the past, and Gail looked like she belonged right here with her and her baby.

"She likes you." Holly looked on with a smile.

"Yeah well she's not too bad herself," Gail only took her eyes off of Elizabeth for a second to look at the brunette. "just like her mum."

Both women blushed but said nothing. Holly welcomed the silence after the constant crying from earlier.

When the bottle was empty, Gail patted Elizabeth's back until the girl burped. Her eyes were barely opened and a slight snore could be heard. Under Holly's instruction, Gail put the sleepy girl in her crib, tucked her in and took the baby monitor with her back into the living room.

"You're a natural." Holly was taking the food out of the bag and pulling out plates from the cupboard by the time Gail returned.

Gail shrugged. "I babysat when I was a teenager."

"Still, you're amazing with Lizzy. She was in a bad mood the whole day right until you walked in."

"I'm sure she was just tired from all the crying by the time I arrived. Right place, right time." Gail helped by placing glasses on the table and filling them.

"I'm pretty sure she likes you and you've been around every single day until today. She probably knew you weren't around and missed you."

"Well, I missed that tiny human too."

Gail smiled shyly into her plate of food as Holly had a goofy one on her face too. They ate in silence until a bunch of nicely wrapped gifts caught Gail's eye in a corner of the apartment. "People came to visit you today?"

"Yeah, Lisa told a bunch of our med school friends that we still keep in touch with. They brought gifts." Holly nodded and took another bite of her chicken. Gail made the right choice to get Chinese for dinner.

That reminded Gail. "I haven't gotten you a gift yet."

"Gail, you don't need to get me anything. You've done more than enough for us already."

"I'm sure you'd have done the same for me."

Holly nodded immediately, she'd have done the exact same thing. Except maybe not as wonderful as Gail was being, but she'd try. "Besides, I think Lizzy has more than enough 'I love my mummy' onesies already."

Gail snorted with a mouthful of noodles. They continued to eat in silence, but this time it was getting to Holly. She had been thinking about her and Gail all day, were they friends? Just friends? Were they ever going to get back together again? But Holly couldn't have a relationship with Gail like what they had the last time. She was a mother now and her daughter had to come first. Gail would be number 2. Gail had to be understanding. It had to be different. And those past few days Gail had shown Holly that she could be someone to count on.

"I still think about you, you know."

Gail stopped chewing and swallowed her noodles before looking at Holly. She knew the talk had to happen sooner or later. But she said nothing anyway.

"About us. Before things blew up in our faces. Before San Francisco. Those were some of the best months of my life. The day I met you, I knew you'd change my life."

Still, Gail kept quiet. The hand holding her fork tightened involuntarily. The food on her plate forgotten.

"Do you still think about us?"

The blonde nodded, not at all trusting that her words would come out steadily. It was true. She thought about Holly a lot. Sure, she had flings and one night stands and relationships that were short-lived since Holly, but no one could ever replace the woman who stole her heart. Gail hadn't been looking for a replacement, just something - someone - different. But it had been difficult.

"You know, I meant what I said." Holly tried to clear the lump in her throat. "I don't think I could ever be friends with you."

Gail finally dropped her fork on her plate and leaned back against her chair. "I don't think so either."

"I don't think I've ever stopped loving you."

Gail was sure her heart stopped beating for a second. She sucked in a breath at the admission she wasn't prepared to hear. But she knew it was the truth. The way Holly was tilting her head slightly to the right, her brown eyes wet with unshed tears, her lips trembling with emotions. It reminded her of that night at 15, when she poured her heart out to the most wonderful woman she ever met. Gail took a painfully long moment to gather her thoughts and the right words.

"Ever since you left, I was heartbroken. It took me forever to pick up the pieces and put them back together. Sure, the pieces stuck and I was whole again, but everything was different. _I_ felt different. Then Sophie came and went and everything fell into pieces again. I wasn't capable of love anymore, until I saw you at the park and your baby and… and I fell in love all over again. With you and with Lizzy."

Holly was crying by the end of Gail's speech, but the blonde wasn't done yet. Gail reached for Holly's hand and the brunette squeezed back in return. "I know… I know this time the stakes are much higher. I should be scared to death, but I'm not that Gail anymore. This time I'm more than willing to walk through the fire. I love you and as long as I'm alive, you don't have to do this alone."

Holly wiped her tears away. "Are you sure?"

Gail nodded, flashing her toothy smile and her blue eyes shining with adoration and unfathomable emotions. "I cannot imagine my life without you and Lizzy."

"We cannot imagine our lives without you too."

Holly then leaned over the table and pulled Gail in by her neck, kissing her soundly after years of sorrow and regret and what-ifs. Gail sighed into the kiss, feeling the broken parts of herself finally mending by the one person who could fix it. When they broke apart for much needed oxygen, Gail brushed her nose against Holly's, lips barely touching as they shared the same air. Their food long forgotten as they gazed into each other's eyes, unwilling to break the silence.

Gail was going in for another kiss when Elizabeth's cries broke the peacefulness through the baby monitor. They laughed at Lizzy's impeccable timing before the brunette stood and walked towards the bedroom. This was their life now, and both Gail and Holly wouldn't wish to have it any other way.

 **Epilogue**

Summer was in full swing. Gail breathed in the smells of grass and trees in her vicinity, and a barbeque future down the street. Lizzy's giggles filled her ears as her 3 year old daughter played in the backyard while her wife moved around the house to unpack the last few boxes they had left. She reached for her glass of juice and sipped in delight, revelling in the calming environment. Not even the nasty taste of Holly's healthy juice could ruin this day. Normally the weather would be too hot for the blonde to even step outside, but it was a beautiful day and for once the sun wasn't out to kill her. Gail took the chance to lie down on the lounge chair and enjoy the nice weather. She cracked open a book but still managed to keep an eye on Elizabeth while she read.

When she had finished the chapter she was on, Gail took her eyes off her book to look over at her beautiful daughter. She had dark curly hair just below the shoulders, brown eyes just like Holly's and a pout that her wife and everyone else said looked exactly like her own. Lizzy also loved cheese puffs as much as Gail, much to Holly's dismay.

"Mama!" Elizabeth looked behind Gail as the brunette emerged from the sliding door.

Gail watched as Holly walked towards their daughter, squatting down and listening attentively as Lizzy showed her wife the new set of toys Uncle Steve had bought for her. They played around for a bit before Holly placed a kiss on the girl's head and stood up to sit at the bottom of Gail's lounge chair.

"Are those the last of them?" Gail closed her book and placed it on the table beside her.

"Yeah. All done." Holly nodded as she started to massage Gail's feet. The blonde sighed at the delicious pressure.

Holly spent the rest of the morning after breakfast unpacking the rest of their stuff from the boxes, putting them away in cupboards, shelves and in the basement. There wasn't much to do, just a few boxes of clothes, cutleries, toys and books. But now that it was done, they could all sit back and live comfortably in their new home and wait for the latest addition to their little family to arrive soon. Holly sighed fondly at the prospect.

"I would've helped, but," Gail pointed to herself, to her massive baby bump. "you know…"

"Yeah, yeah." Holly wiggled one of Gail's toe and smiled at her wife. "I think we both know even if you're not pregnant, you still hate moving."

"But I'd do anything for you, my dear." Gail feigned shock, blue eyes wide trying to look innocent.

"I know," The brunette moved higher up the chair, her hands on Gail's stomach stroking her bump lovingly. She could feel a gentle kick and Holly gasped softly. It always came as a surprise every time Holly witnessed it. She could never get used to the feeling. "you're doing it right now."

She looked up with a lopsided smile at the blonde, her eyes and her heart filled with so much love for her gorgeous wife. Gail returned the affectionate look and placed both hands on top of Holly's which were still on her stomach.

"I love you."

"I love you too."

Holly looked around them, at their green backyard, the white fences, the beautiful stone pavements that led to the front of the house, their amazing new place to call home. Her daughter was happy, her pregnant wife was happy and the sun was shining. The future was bright and full of promises, and once again Holly felt like the luckiest woman in the whole world.

"We did good, honey."


End file.
